Jun 25, 2026

In Memoriam: Hedie Epp

It is with great sadness that we are sharing that longtime volunteer and opera lover, Hedie Epp, passed away peacefully on June 16.

She will be very deeply missed by her Manitoba Opera family and the many organizations for which she volunteered for decades. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg Singers, Compassionate Friends Winnipeg, and Right to Learn Afghanistan are just a few of the organizations lucky enough to have had Hedie volunteer for them.

“Hedie was one of those remarkable people whose presence became synonymous with opera in Winnipeg,” said MO Executive Director Michael Blais. “Her genuine love of the art form was infectious, and I always enjoyed hearing her stories about her earliest experiences with opera. The news of her passing has come as a profound shock to all of us at Manitoba Opera, and we are deeply saddened by this loss.

Hedie devoted countless hours to the company and was an integral part of the Manitoba Opera team. She will be remembered with great affection and gratitude, and her contributions to Manitoba Opera will continue to be felt for many years to come.”

Hedie grew up in Springstein, a farming community just outside of Headingley. She trained as a nurse and started her career in post-surgery at Misericordia Hospital. She retired as a supervisor at Seven Oaks Hospital. Hedie then worked for 15 years for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, retiring permanently in 2010.

A lifelong music lover, Hedie particularly loved volunteering for music-related arts organizations. Her love of opera was ignited in Vienna when she was hitchhiking through Europe after finishing her nurse’s training. She saw a performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio, and she was hooked.

“I met Hedie in a beer tent at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 1987, as I was there doing research for Winnipeg’s festival which was planned for the following year,” recalls Larry Desrochers, former general director & CEO for Manitoba Opera. “She and I were having a bit of a debate with Peter Gzowsky, former CBC Radio host, who insisted the Fringe would never work in Winnipeg – it was an Edmonton thing. We all know how wrong he was.  So outside of RMTC, Hedie was probably the first Winnipegger to know of plans to launch the Winnipeg Fringe. She was one of the first to volunteer for it and loved the festival.

Years later, our paths crossed again when I joined Manitoba Opera and discovered that Hedie was volunteering here as well. She was endlessly curious, wonderfully engaging, and a passionate supporter of the arts. More than that, she was a lovely friend. We will all miss her dearly.”

Click here to read more about Hedie in the 50th Anniversary Season Stories feature on her.